Create a Marketing Plan & Grow Your Standout Business

Lesson 4 of 35

Identify Your Marketing Campaigns

Create a Marketing Plan & Grow Your Standout Business

Lesson 4 of 35

Identify Your Marketing Campaigns

Lesson Info

Identify Your Marketing Campaigns

- [Tara] Let's move on then, now, to lesson two. At this point, we've got sort of a broad strokes idea of what you're going to be selling when. And now, we need to fine-tune that. We need to get a little bit more strategic, we need to think through, "What are the things that happened throughout the year? What are the stories that I want to tell? What are all of the options that I have at my disposal?" So, now that you know when you're going to market throughout the next year like I said, we need to fine-tune. We need to drill down into each campaign. And as I mentioned, again, just a few minutes ago, a big part of marketing is remembering all of your assets. Because, just like we forget what we have for sale, we forget all the ways that we could sell it. I see this constantly. People get into a rut or people are constantly changing the new trend thing, right? Like, "What's the new app? What's the new social media platform? What's the new technique that everybody's using?" And they forg...

et all of the other things that have actually worked for them to market and sell what it is that they have going on. So, what are marketing assets? Your first marketing asset is all the audiences you have at your disposal. So, I have a blog audience, I have an email list, I have a Facebook page, I have a podcast audience. I actually have two podcast audiences because we do two different kinds of podcasts. I have a CreativeLive audience, I have speaking audiences that I've had in the past, so other strategic partnerships. You also have a number of different audiences. You don't think about it that way, you think about just, "Who are the people that know my brand and know my business?" But when it comes down to thinking about, "No, where could I actually go out and reach different audiences? Or who are all of the people I could go out and reach?" You have multiple places you could go, multiple groups of people. You want to keep each one of those in mind. You also have different media distribution channels. So, your blog would be one, a podcast would be one. Maybe your YouTube channel is another, your Facebook page. So, you're going to see a lot of similarities between audiences and media distribution channels. And "media distribution channels" is really just a fancy way of saying, "What are all the places you put content?" So, it could be Instagram, it could be Medium, it could be LinkedIn, it could be your own website, it could be other people's websites, it could be a column that you have in your local newspaper. Seriously, it could be any of those things. Where do you have the ability to distribute your message, your content, your images, your ideas? So, you want to make a list of all of those. Then I want you to think about stories. And they don't just have to be epic stories or personal stories. They're the stories that you tell around the product or service that you sell. Melissa, what's a story that you tell around the Creative Sandbox community? - [Melissa] I tell the story about my own creative blocks and getting unstuck. - Perfect. So, there's a great example of a personal story. And that's probably a story you tell over and over and over again, right? It's an asset that you have at your disposal. Any time you need to really explain what it is that you do, you probably pull out that personal story? Sean just asked me the other day, "Don't you think it's time to retire your border story? Don't you think everyone's already heard that?" I'm like, "No. That is gold." Or I'm going to tell a story about him in the next segment. That's another one I'm not retiring any time soon. It's gold, right? So, those are examples of personal stories. But there are also stories like the junk food story. That's going to be a story that I use over and over and over again because it's just a really easy way to wrap your head around what it is that I'm trying to do for you. And so, it's a great way to start things out. So, what are all those stories that you've used over the years? What are all those effective ways of communicating that you've utilized to market and sell your products or services? Again, we forget about these things constantly so having lists is key. This is something you can draw on all the time. Seasonal tie-ins is the next one. There are different times throughout the year that we are more likely to sell and less likely to sell. Summer is a terrible time for me to sell things. People don't want to think about their businesses in the summer. So, think seasonally. If you sell jewelry, maybe Valentine's Day is a seasonal tie-in for you, maybe Mother's Day is a seasonal tie-in for you. All of those seasonal bits and pieces that help you sell your product, make a list of them and make sure that your calendar is built around them. And then finally, communications strengths. What are the ways that you know you communicate best? For me, one of them is speaking and teaching on CreativeLive. So, CreativeLive is not just something I help sell through CreativeLive, but it's also something that I work into my marketing campaigns. All right? So, that's part of my plan, as well, to have a list of all of those things that I know I do about well. Melissa, I'm assuming webinars is one of your communication strengths. Speaking in general, webinars are just another form of speaking, right? So, that's a communication strength that you have. Maybe, Lacey, for you it's writing, right? You know that writing is one of your communication strengths. So, you could be looking at your different audiences, your different media distribution channels, your different stories, your different seasonal tie-ins. And you say, "All right. How can I utilize writing in each of those to create variety and to reach as many people as possible?"

Class Description

Marketing your small business can feel like throwing spaghetti at the proverbial wall.

You try all the things you’re “supposed" to do (blogging, making videos, posting to social media…) and you try to keep up with the “hot new trends” that promise to change the way customers find you.

You spend tons of time and energy—and probably some money too. And after all that…

You wonder whether it’s really paying off or not. Is your business really growing? Or is it just your workload…?

Marketing isn’t something you want to mess around with. You want confidence. You want to know it’s working. And, perhaps most importantly, you want to know exactly how you can accelerate your success once you get it right.

Most business owners lack 2 essential pieces of the marketing puzzle. These 2 missing pieces keep them from fully utilizing all the effort they’re already putting into marketing while also keeping them from discovering just how rewarding (and fun) marketing can be.

The first essential piece is a plan. That plan needs to help you be productive, efficient, and decisive. It can ever bring focus and clarity to the whole way your business operates. This class has that covered.

The second essential piece is a solid messaging foundation. The difference between your campaigns and the ones that really, truly pay off isn’t ad spend, hot new trends, or expertise—it’s a message that connects with exactly the right people. This class gives you a system for creating that message every single time.

Join bestselling Money & Life instructor and CoCommercial founder Tara Gentile for a 2-day class on creating the marketing foundation and plan you need to grow your standout business.

By the end of this class, you will be able to:

Build a year-long marketing calendar so you’re never caught off guard by your business’s marketing needs

Quickly and confidently prepare an effective marketing message for a product or service using a foundational set of building blocks that turn so-so campaigns into money-makers

Create a schedule and plan for your marketing campaign using multiple channels, such as email, social media, blogging, or video, so you know you’re getting your offers in front of the right people

Design a system for your marketing campaigns that can be optimized and automated so that you can spend less time on the hands-on work of marketing

Best of all, you’ll have a replicable system you can use for every campaign and every year to feel completely confident in your marketing.

Sharon

Tara, the information you delivered in this class is invaluable. I am in the launching stage of my business, and I know I need to market my business and services and I know I need to write a plan, but I didn't know how to do it. Instagram, content upgrades, Facebook, email marketing, webinars, blogging, etc. etc., I know it all. But I just couldn't get my head around how to truly use marketing campaigns for my business, and especially for my services, to reach my ideal client, help my ideal client and to reach my ideal income.
You explained the why behind marketing campaigns and you showed us how to create a marketing campaign from A to Z. The whole sha-bang!
You gave me the knowledge and inspiration in how to market my services, how many people I ideally want to reach and above all, a framework I can use time and time again to create a marketing campaign. I purchased the class right after seeing the live broadcast so I can use this class for planning all my next marketing campaigns. You clarified a lot and I am much more confident (and so much more less stressed haha) in creating a marketing campaign plan that works for my business and services. I learned a lot! Thank you! P.S. Love the hot seats.

Susan Best Jones

Tara, I love your creative live events I always learn so much and this time was the same. Perfect timing on this info, it is exactly what I need right now and I feel confident that I can do it! I joined CoCommercial and am excited about that. Thank you, Tara.

MaryAnn

This class is well worth the time! Tara does an excellent job of not only providing a step by step system for creating a marketing campaign, but she provides clear context and insights along the way. This is important so that you're not just going through the motions and crossing your fingers that your marketing will work. She helps you understand the strategy behind the scenes so you can get the most out of the work you put in. I highly recommend this course to anyone considering doing their own marketing, or people who are already doing their own marketing and want to feel more empowered and get better results.